Bad Bunny to make lead acting debut in film inspired by Puerto Rican revolutionary

Singer Bad Bunny is to take on his first lead acting role, starring in a film alongside Javier Bardem and Edward Norton.

Porto Rico, described as a love letter to the 31-year-old's home of Puerto Rico, will be directed by rapper René Pérez, known as Residente.

The film, which has been in development since 2023, is partly based on the life of José Maldonado Román, a late 19th and early 20th Century revolutionary.

It comes after a huge year for Bad Bunny, which has seen him headline the Super Bowl half-time show and win album of the year at the Grammy Awards.

"This film is a reaffirmation of who we are - told with the intensity and honesty that our history deserves," Residente told US film site Deadline.

"I have dreamed of making a film about my country since I was a child. Puerto Rico's true history has always been surrounded by controversy."

Porto Rico, also starring Viggo Mortensen, will be executive produced by Alejandro G Iñárritu, the Oscar-winning director of Birdman and The Revenant.

It is inspired by Maldonado Román, known as Águila Blanca (White Eagle), who fought against Spanish colonialism in Puerto Rico and led uprisings against the authorities.

Puerto Rico is now a self-governing territory of the USA.

In a statement, actor Norton said: "This film sits in a tradition of films we deeply love, from The Godfather to Gangs of New York, that both thrill us with visceral drama and iconic characters and eras while also forcing us to face up to the shadow story under the American narrative of idealism.

"Everybody knows what a poet of language and rhythm René is. Now they're going to see what a visual visionary he is as well."

Norton added: "Bringing him and Bad Bunny together to tell the true story of Puerto Rico's roots is going to be like a flame finding the stick of dynamite that's been waiting for it."

Bad Bunny has previously appeared in supporting roles, such as in Brad Pitt thriller Bullet Train and Austin Butler crime comedy Caught Stealing.

On Wednesday, he was named the fifth most popular artist in the world in 2025 by global music industry body the IFPI.